I work at a United Methodist camp, am I supposed to check the "religious employment" box?

[Opus 17]

"Religious employment" has 4 factors.

•You perform the sacraments

•You conduct services

•You are recognized as a leader by your congregation

•You play a role in guiding and administering church functions.

A pastor does not have to do all these things equally, the test depends on the facts of each case.

But, a person who works for a church in a non-clergy, non-pastor capacity is not a religious worker for tax purposes.  Even an ordained minister who has been hired for non-religious duties (like a camp cook) is usually not entitled to be treated as a religious worker for tax purposes.

[NicoleU]

If you're not sure if you are a church employee, check the box indicating you earned this income for religious employment, and we'll ask you all of the right questions.

Clergy employment includes:

• Ministers: Individuals who are duly ordained, commissioned, or licensed by a religious body constituting a church or church denomination

• Members of religious orders: This includes individuals who have taken the vow of poverty and those who have not; the most common religious orders are those of the Catholic priests, Catholic nuns, and Buddhist monks

• Christian Science Practitioners and Readers: Christian Science practitioners are members in good standing with the Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston Mass., who practice healing according to the teachings of Christian Science; Christian Science readers are considered the same as ordained, commissioned or licensed ministers

Nonclergy religious employment includes:

• Religious workers and other church employees who have not been listed above as members of the clergy.
  

• Member of recognized religious sect: In order to be a member of a recognized religious sect the following criteria must be met:

•  You must be conscientiously opposed to accepting benefits from any private or public insurance that makes payments for death, disability, old age, retirement, medical care, or provides services for medical care

• You must waive all rights to receive any Social Security payments or benefits and agree that no benefits or payments will be made to anyone else based on your wages and self-employment income

• It is the practice, and has been for a substantial period of time, for members of the sect or division to provide for their dependent members in a manner that is reasonable in view of the members' general level of living

• The sect or division must have been in existence at all times since December 31, 1950.